Living Room Study

Titus 2

“For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and Godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Jesus.”  Titus 2:11-13

There is an idea about God’s Grace, that it covers all sin and requires no accountability. I have friends who firmly believe this, to the point where they distort Grace by removing themselves from Godly accountability with other believers. They live however they want, and when confronted about their lifestyles, they answer, “God’s Grace covers all sin, and it cannot be revoked.”

While that is a true statement about God’s Grace, my friends’ attitude does not reflect the heart of Jesus.

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21

Paul instructs us to, “…deny godlessness, and worldly lust and to live in a sensible, righteous, and Godly way”. Nowhere in that verse is a license to live apart from God’s standard.

The observable power of salvation in the Christian’s life is not fully displayed by the fact that we have been saved from God’s wrath. It is mostly revealed in that we are changed. We are called “converts” because we are changed; and that means our desires to sin are also being replaced with the desire to please God. Salvation is not the ability to sin without consequence; it is more of a fresh start, where we are freed to serve the Lord rightly.

To me, the sweetness of Grace is displayed in today’s passage. God’s Grace brings salvation for “all people”. That’s not to say that all people will be saved. Rather, salvation is offered and available to all people, by Grace. It’s still the individual’s choice to respond to it.

Those who recognize their need for God’s Grace and receive it, enter into a joy that is unexplainable. We, who are receivers of His Grace, should desire to be givers of it, as well. In this way, we become living testimonies by virtue of our transformed lives, along with the words of the gospel we share.

Lastly, we have hope in the Grace of Messiah because we acknowledge the deity of Messiah. Grace without deity is just a kind gesture. Deity without Grace is unforgiving judgment. We have hope because Jesus is both “God and Savior”.

Blessings.

Steve Wiggins